Background: The specificity and positive predictive value of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) RNA assays have not been evaluated in the setting of postexposure prophylaxis (PEP).
Methods: Plasma from subjects enrolled in a nonoccupational PEP study was tested with 2 branched-chain DNA (bDNA) assays, 2 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, and a transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) assay. Assay specificity and positive predictive value were determined for subjects who remained negative for HIV antibody for >or=3 months.
Results: In 329 subjects examined, the lowest specificities (90.1%-93.7%) were seen for bDNA testing performed in real time. The highest specificities were seen with batched bDNA version 3.0 (99.1%), standard PCR (99.4%), ultrasensitive PCR (100%), and TMA (99.6%) testing. Only the 2 assays with the highest specificities had positive predictive values >40%. For the bDNA assays, increasing the cutoff point at which a test is called positive (e.g., from 50 copies/mL to 500 copies/mL for version 3.0) increased both specificity and positive predictive values to 100%.
Conclusions: The positive predictive value of HIV RNA assays in individuals presenting for PEP is unacceptably low for bDNA-based testing and possibly acceptable for PCR- and TMA-based testing. Routine use of HIV RNA assays in such individuals is not recommended.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/421278 | DOI Listing |
World J Urol
January 2025
Department of Urology, Urooncology, Robot-assisted and Focal Therapy, University Hospital Magdeburg, Otto-von Guericke University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.
Background And Objectives: Radical prostatectomy is a standard treatment for prostate cancer, yet about 30% of patients experience rising biochemical markers within a decade post-surgery. Pelvic lymph node sampling during prostatectomy assesses potential lymph node metastases, but standard histological assessments, which typically examine only 2-3 tissue sections, often miss occult metastases. This study assesses the effectiveness of qPCR in detecting PSA coding KLK3 mRNA for identifying lymph node metastases post-prostatectomy and explores the correlation between PSA-mRNA and biochemical recurrence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Ethn Subst Abuse
January 2025
Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.
Unlabelled: The large majority (over 70%) of American Indian adolescents who reside in cities rather than tribal lands or rural areas report relatively earlier onset of substance use and more harmful associated health effects, compared to their non-Native peers.
Objective: This study investigated multilevel ecodevelopmental influences on empirically derived patterns of substance use among urban American Indian adolescents.
Method: Data came from 8th, 10th, and 12th grade American Indian adolescents ( = 2,407) in metropolitan areas of Arizona.
Intern Emerg Med
January 2025
Faculty of Medicine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
Patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in the emergency department (ED) require rapid and accurate electrocardiographic (ECG) evaluation. This study aims to assess conventional ECG markers for diagnosing non-ST-elevation ACS (NSTE-ACS) in patients with chest discomfort and right bundle branch block (RBBB). A nested case-control design was employed to compare patients with RBBB admitted to the ED for suspected cardiac ischemia, focusing on those who developed NSTE-ACS versus those who did not.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
January 2025
Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Changhai Hospital, The Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China.
In recent years, large amounts of researches showed that pulmonary embolism (PE) has become a common disease, and PE remains a clinical challenge because of its high mortality, high disability, high missed and high misdiagnosed rates. To address this, we employed an artificial intelligence-based machine learning algorithm (MLA) to construct a robust predictive model for PE. We retrospectively analyzed 1480 suspected PE patients hospitalized in West China Hospital of Sichuan University between May 2015 and April 2020.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPathology
December 2024
Department of Anatomical Pathology, PathWest Laboratory Medicine, QEII Medical Centre, Perth, WA, Australia; School of Medicine, Notre Dame University, Fremantle, WA, Australia. Electronic address:
Intraepidermal squamous neoplasia is a precursor to invasive cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. The most common type of intraepidermal squamous neoplasia is actinic keratosis (AK), although there is compelling clinicopathological evidence of a second distinct pattern of squamous dysplasia termed Bowen disease (BD). The distinction between these pathways of dysplasia has been inconsistently delineated in the literature.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!